Transport safety authorities in Australia, US and Japan have identified a different type of Takata airbag that poses a critical risk of death or serious injury to vehicle occupants, prompting an urgent recall of around 12 000 BMW vehicles which may still be in use on Australian roads.
From 21-25 October 2019, the ACCC is participating in a global awareness raising campaign on product recalls led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and jointly coordinated by the ACCC and European Commission.
Australians could be at risk of injuries or even death from 6.6 million individual products currently under voluntary recall, with about half of these still likely to be found in people’s homes, new figures show.
Major car manufacturers, including BMW, GM Holden, Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota, are warning that 20,000 vehicles already under recall for defective Takata airbags are now classified as “critical”.
The ACCC has established a Button Battery Taskforce to investigate ways to reduce risk to the Australian community, particularly children, of button batteries.
Despite 80 percent of recalled Takata airbags in Australian vehicles having been replaced since July 2017, there are growing concerns that some communities are not getting the message.
Around 120 Australians have died as a result of do it yourself (DIY) car maintenance accidents since 2000, while many hundreds have been hospitalised due to injuries, and the ACCC is warning consumers to take extra care when repairing their vehicles.
